Mon, 18th June, 2018 Bush camp, Algebuckina Waterhole to Bush camp, Duff Creek, Oodnadatta Track, SA

7am -0.7 degrees – just a bit nippy. We are nice and snug in our bed.

Got up at 8am and it had managed to get to 1.5 degrees. Steve got the fire going as the sun is very slow warming us up today as there is a tree in the road.

9am 6.8 degrees. Packed up and headed off. We went through the pastoralist’s gate to check out the rest of the waterhole. Found the old Pump Station. Couldn’t find a door so maybe this was just the platform for the tank on top.

Nice long waterhole. Drove a bit further along past some other campers for another view of the waterhole.

Back to the O Track and continued on. Passed the road crew’s vehicles, they have been doing a good job as this section is as smooth as glass.

The next section is no so good – giving the clothes in the ‘washing machine’ a good tumble though.

Rolling up and down ridges as we travel beside the rail line embankment. Checked out North Peake ruins while we had a cuppa.

Crossed dry Peake Creek then ran alongside a long sand ridge. The road crew had their camp next to the ridge.

Saw a cairn which was about William Ernest Giles.

More sand ridges – we feel like we are back on the Canning but on a much better road. Back into open country now with grass and an occasional low shrub. The trees are only in the creek beds. Denison Range appears in the distance on our left. Spotted a big water tank near Bungadilla Creek – lots of old sleepers left here on the track.

Bungadilla Creek

This is about the southern limit for Gidgee trees (Acacia cambagei) which become more common further north.

Further along we checked out the ruins of Warrina Siding.

Warrina Siding

This was named by Mr Mann, engineer in charge of the construction of the railway line. The cairn commemorates the Elder Scientific Exploration Expedition which was organised and financed by Sir Thomas Elder. Elder knew there was little chance of finding more pastoral country but was interested in exploring the few remaining areas of desert in WA and SA. The expedition, led by David Lindsay, was beset by many difficulties and finally had to be recalled before completion of the proposed route. Although often considered a failure, it was responsible for many important natural history discoveries.

Across the road is a cairn for the Elder Expedition and some old machinery from the copper mine at Peake and this poor old wagon.

Hema showed the track to the Peake Overland Telegraph Station from here but it now a private road. We had to back track to the ‘PAR’ which was passed earlier but didn’t realise what it was.

Up and down rolling hills covered with white pebbles (probably quartz) with ironstone outcrops here and there.

The cattle look very healthy, though when you look what’s around it is hard to see what they survive on.

Round some hills and salt pans. Water in the wheel ruts where someone went down in the soft stuff. Very salty too.

Pulled over to check out the ruins of the Hammer & Gad Eating House (est 1870s). Obviously the local ‘pub/restaurant’. Must have been a few people living around here back then.

Water leaking down the hillside from these clumps of reeds – artesian springs.

Very salty ground. 

Parked beside some big palms and read the information board about the springs here.

Picked up a brochure from a big metal box full of them. Very interesting site as there are Mound Springs here, it was first a pastoral lease and a few buildings are from that era, then more buildings were built when it was the Telegraph Station and then they were used by the miners when the copper mine opened up near here. Now of course it is protected and open to the public to learn more of our history. There are a few walks to do. Good signage as we walked up the track. 

Amazing photos – imagine dressing up like that to ride a camel.

The Settlement Well – Steve tasted the water and it was brackish but not too bad. Took a video of the area.

Peake Overland Telegraph Station. Here the signal was relayed on to the next repeater station from 1872 to 1891. The northern wing is probably from pastoral times (1860s) and the southern wing was constructed for OT operations in 1872. The lean-to rooms at the rear were probably built for workers at the Copper Top mine and smelter in 1900.

To the left is the Government cart shed and smithy (1872).

To the right and heading slightly up hill is the Mess Hut, originally built for the Peake Pastoral Station (1860s). Beside that was the Kitchen built for the OTS (1872).

Beside that was the Store – originally built for the pastoral station.

Then the Main House which was also the pastoral station era. Amazing to think the door frame is still intact.

Further along is the Men’s Hut (OTL 1872). Must have been cosy in there.

Great view.

Not much remains of the Blacksmith shop of the pastoral era (1860s).

By the amount of droppings around here there are plenty of rabbits about.

Walked back down to the well – looking across to the sand ridge.

Back to the truck to make some lunch. Unfortunately the flies found us. It is still quite chilly so we sat in the sun trying to warm up.

Back up the track to do the Mine Walk. Passed the ‘dunny’ or ‘privies’ as the sign said – built 1872. Steve checked it out.

Walked up the track following a valley to check out the Copper Top Mine Smelter 1900-04. At this time there was an increasing demand for copper wire needed for the new technology of telegraph and electricity lines. Unfortunately the ore was poor quality and not enough of it to sustain the elaborate and expensive smelting works which were funded with Victorian capital.

Eucalyptus coolabah.

The Forge  – not much remains.

Continued on and climbed up to the slag heap.

Brick foundations. The tiers allowed the smelting process to progress down the steep slope, the ore being conveyed from the nearby shafts on the ridge top. Remains of a wooden stairway. Fire bricks for the smelter, stamped GARTCRAIG, were imported from Glasgow.

View back to the OTL.

Up to the next level where there is a bit of old machinery that was part of the crushing process.

Lots of rocks around with green colouring. We aren’t sure if that is the copper or copper oxide after it was been exposed to oxygen – will have to look into that. Other rocks have black shiny bits.

View across to one of the shafts on the ridge further over.

Up to the ‘sorting floor’ – still piles of rocks that weren’t processed.

Some old Coolibah logs that were left behind when the mine was abandoned. Coke was railed to Warrina siding to fuel the smelter, but there was also high demand for local wood for various structural purposes and for firewood.

More piles of rocks waiting to be sorted and crushed.

Looking across the hills to Copper Top Hill that the mine was named after.

Spotted another building down the hill – might have been for the pastoralist.

Not sure what this pit was for.

Checked out the first shaft. It has been lined with Oregon timber. Doesn’t look too safe.

Around to the next fenced shaft. It was faced with local Coolibah timber but that is long gone.

A few other shallow shafts are nearby and piles of dirt were they were exploring for more ore.

Lovely view over Mt Kingston that we came around.

‘Dead Finish Wattle’ (Acacia tetragonophylla) grow in the middle of rocky outcrops. Cracks in the rocks provide and ideal spot for the seeds to lodge and water run-off from the rocks creates a microclimate promoting germination and growth.

Pastoral photo-point – This small peg has a marked disc which is one of several thousand photo-points established by the South Australia’s Pastoral Board to monitor land and vegetation condition across the pastoral lands of the outback. Photographs are repeated every few years to measure changes in condition due to grazing pressure or seasonal conditions such as drought or rain.

View back over the smelting plant.

Continued along the track past another acacia. This track was the old bullock and donkey dray track used to access the mine and smelt site.

At the top of the ridge above the ruins – great view of Mt Kingston, the flats where the Eating House ruins are then over the historical precinct. Took a video of the view.

Easy to spot where the springs are by the high reeds.

Back down to the ruins – found a pile of broken ceramic insulators.

Down to the truck then we continued on the other direction for the Creek and Cemetery Walk.

The site of the Goat Yard. Early European settlements in the outback rarely had access to dairy cows so goats were a common alternative supply of milk. Because of dingo predation the goats would be shepherded by day (usually by Aboriginal women and children) and returned to a secure yard at night. The dark coloured mound here represents the accumulated dung of one of these overnight goat folds.

Crossed over one of the many little streams from the springs at the base of the hills. Nice clear water.

Gidgee (Acacia cambagei) tree.

We are walking over pebbles but as soon as you break the surface it is powdery dirt.

Continued along till we spotted a few tombstones on a hill side. The powdery dirt is easy for the rabbits to dig their warrens into. Have to watch we don’t collapse one as we walk along.

Big tombstone for George Rolland, died 14^th July, 1887, aged 28. Smaller one for Roderick Edginton, died 11^th March, 1900, aged 33. Another unmarked grave.

I climbed up the hill to take a photo back across the historical precinct.

River Red Gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) occur along creeks, rivers and drainage lines over much of southern Australia. This northern form is more compact and drought-tolerant, and is found along many inland drainage lines, sometimes in association with Coolibah.

  

Riverine Wattles - A copse of Broughton Willow (Acacia salicina) occurs here, a long way north of its main South Australian distribuation on the Broughton River, near Crystal Brook. This drainage line feeds into Peake Creek, which in turn links with the Neales River, a major watercourse that flows into Lake Eyre North after good rains.

This modest flowing stream is the overflow tail from one of the mound springs nearby. Most mound springs have an overflow tail that usually peters out a short distance from the main spring outlet. These permanent spring overflows support sedges and rushes, in contrast to the creeks and rivers that flow only after heavy local rainfall.

We followed the stream up to try and find the actual source but there were too many reeds to get through. Back to the truck and headed back out. You can see how the ground has built up over the centuries with the sediments from the water and creating the ‘mound’ effect.

More info from a brochure about the Mound Springs and Great Artesian Basin.

21 km back to the Oodnadatta Track. Back past Warrina ruins and the track to Peake Station Homestead. Running parallel with the railway. Another long bridge over Edwards Creek.

Turned off to the Edwards Creek siding (built 1889) & village ruins for a cuppa. More buildings etc here. Walked to the furtherest one to take the photos.

During Second World War time the facilities here were upgraded by the Commonwealth Railways.

Steve checked out the chimneys – all that’s left of those buildings. The rest has been pushed up in a pile behind them.

Steve was impressed with the Kennicott water softener (desalination). Looking inside. Must have been pumps etc mounted on the concrete.

Further down were the usual railway buildings we have seen but there were two of them. A few rooms still have some of the ceiling. Sadly the vandals and graffiti people have gotten to them. The backs were closed in on these ones.

Crossed over dry Edwards Creek. Continued over flat gibber country with the occasional sand ridge to roll over. Still very cool though it is nice in the sun if you are out of the breeze.

Davenport Range appears to our left – looks purple in the afternoon light. The railway embankment had been on our left but now we cross it and continue with it on our right.

An old truck at the turn off to Nilpinna Station Homestead.

Duff Creek siding has a great big sign but no buildings anymore.

Drove down into Duff Creek – dry of course. Under the long bridge due to the wide watercourse.

Through the sand to park up for the night. Needed a tree to hang out the washing. Catch a bit of the afternoon sun and it should dry overnight. The cold breeze has stopped.

Our route today.

The temperature dropped quickly as the sun set. 8.30pm down to 8.4 degrees though we still sit by the fire playing cards. Coffee at 9pm then into bed, down to 7.5 degrees.